Conventionally, as for a washing-drying machine, such designed one as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 has been devised. That is, a water tub 2, i.e. a tub to hold water, is tiltably supported by a horizontal shaft 3 in a washing-drying machine main body or housing 1, wherein a rotary drum 4 is rotatably supported with a rotary shaft 5 within the water tub 2. A drive switching device 6 for switching to a pulsator or to the rotary drum 4 and an electric motor 7a for driving the rotary shaft 5 are arranged at the under part of the water tub 2. The rotary shaft 5 and the electric motor 7a are connected by a belt. In the vicinity of the end part of the horizontal shaft 3, a displacement electric motor 7b is secured to a main body 1, whereby a pinion gear 9 meshing with a worm gear 8 which is driven by the displacement electric motor 7b is secured to the horizontal shaft 3. When the worm gear 8 rotates, the pinion gear 9 is driven, whereby the horizontal shaft 3 rotates to tilt the water tub 2 around the horizontal shaft 3. At the outside of the under part of the water tub 2, a fan 10 to be used during the drying step is connected to a duct 12 through a heater 11, and the duct 12 communicates with the interior of the water tub 2. The numeral 13 designates a water outlet.
In the above-mentioned construction, the laundry is put in the water tub 2 and the machine is turned on. The washing-rinsing-spinning step is carried out in the verticl state of the water tub 2 as shown by solid lines in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, and, after finishing the final spinning step, the displacement electric motor 7b, and hence the worm gear 8, drives the pinion gear 9, which tilts the water tub 2 into a horizontal posture, whereby the step proceeds to the drying one. This state is shown by the two-dot chain lines in FIG. 14. During the drying step, the rotary drum 4 is rotated, and the fan 10 and the heater 11 are powered to carry out the drying step.
As for the washing-drying machine of the above-mentioned design, since the horizontal shaft 3 for tilting the water tub 2 is arranged at the outside of the water tub 2 and the front and rear direction of the main body 1, the bottom area of the main body 1 is increased; and hence in order to make the same size as a washing-drying machine of conventional ones, the size of the water tub 2 has to be decreased and thus the washable-dryable laundry amount thereof is decreased.
Further, since the horizontal shaft 3 for supporting and tilting the water tub 2 is arranged at the side walls of the main body 1 and the water outlet 13 is arranged at the side wall, the orbit of the water outlet 13 during tilting of the water tub 2 becomes large, and the water tub 2 can not have sufficient capacity in the limited space of the main body 1, thereby problematically diminishing the washing-drying laundry amount. Though an arrangement of a horizontal shaft 3 at the cornering parts of the main body 1 has been invented, there is a problem that the orbits of the upper part and the bottom part of the cylindrical water tub 2 of the said machine during the tilting of the water tub 2 interfere the side walls of the main body 1, and the capacity of the water tub 2 can not be secured sufficiently.
Further, during drying of the laundry the air for drying is heated and blown into the water tub 2, and then the humid air after having dried the laundry is directly exhausted to the outside of the machine, and there arises a problem that the interior of the room becomes wet and the moisture is condensed into water on the wall surface. Though, on the other hand, a condensation type of a laundry drying machine provided with a heat-exchanger and a circular course of the air for drying may be proposed, in case of a washing-drying machine, during the washing it is necessary to contain water in the water tub, and it has a problem of injuring the reliability by encroaching of the water in the circular course, and besides, there is a problem of greatly complicating the circular course itself.
Moreover, since the machine probably carries out the drying step alone, instead of drying after the spinning step, and if the water remains in the water tub the water leaks out of the water tub snce the drying is made with the water tub in horizontal status, and this makes a problem in reliability.
Further, due to the capacity of the rotary drum, the dryable laundry amount is about a half of the washable-rinsable-spinable laundry amount; and the laundry amount exceeding that limit protracts the drying time, and badly forms uneven dryness and much wrinkles. Therefore, the user must judge whether he or she carries out only the washing-rinsing-spinning step or can continue until the drying step, in compliance with the laundry amount before starting the washing, and it is much inconvenient.